The feeling of a broken heart
by thedistraughtnobody
Summary: Just when she gets the guy, he was reported killed during a mission. Now Jessica is facing the harshness of reality but not completely alone. But that's just not enough for her. Organization 13 has been watching her and now finds use for the girl.
1. Preface

_**'I do not claim to know the outcome of this venture, either. After all... hearts are unpredictable.'**_

She smiled up at the boy who meant the world to her which in response, he barely understood as to why exactly she felt so strongly attracted to him. After all this time he was departed from her, from his friends, his home, he had become nothing like the stories tell you of a handsome prince or perhaps some heroic man who slay dragons. But instead, he had become what he had feared; A monster. He had become a stone mannequin trying his best at over coming the darkness that swallowed him. But things had changed when he was met again with this petty girl standing before him, looking up at him with eyes that danced with excitement.

There were two things he had expected the girl to do when he reunited with her once more; Run away in fear of his new form that he had created, or to finally get over him and move on with her life which it seemed she has not been doing in his absence. Neither action was made on her part which startled him ever so slightly, something he was not quite used to.

Instead of shunning him of his previous actions that she still did not understand, she threw herself into his stiff arm's and clung onto his shirt as if she was afraid if she didn't, he would go away again. He stood there confused and searched his mind on what actions he should take next as she began to cry so many tears that she had locked away for him. Slowly yet surely, he wrapped his bare arm's around her then barred his pale face into her brown locks which he noted smelled like cherry blossoms.

Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he actually missed her which was just as strong as much as she felt for him. The only noise between the two searching friends was her violent sobs she whimpered against his muscular chest. "I've missed you so much…" She choked out which he almost failed to hear cause of her tiny unsure voice. He hadn't heard her voice in so long which made it sound as if it was a sweet melody to his eager ears.

A sly smile passed it's way across his pale lips as her word's etched their way into the depths of his mind. Oh how long he has waited to hear some one else say all these silent confessions to him then his best friend. "I know." He whispered gently back to her.

The grip on his shirt from the shorter figure in front of him, tightened slightly when he was trying to pull away from her. A chuckle erupted in his throat when he noticed her clingy behavior , it made him feel a sudden foreign warmth inside his being. Staring down at her, he started to see thing's a bit differently that he had always looked over before when with her. Maybe this was his chance at finally some happiness he has been scouting far and wide for when it was in front of his face the whole time.

After prying her clinched hands off of his shirt, he stood there and held them softly in his own as if scared to break her. A confused and some what shocked face looked up to meet his smile as he laced their calmly fingers together. The beating of his silent heart began to quicken as he let go one of her hands to take hold of her chin and direct her up to him after she had looked nervously down at the ground.

The girl's cheek's then were glazed over with a rosy red shade as he slowly moved his face down to her own. Time seemed to have slowed for them for that moment which was almost unbearable for her to contain anymore. She had been waiting so long for him to return, for this moment per say , and waiting any longer for him to make his way towards her was not any option in her mind currently. In a swift motion , her hands became a tangled mess in his light colored hair as she pulled his face down to her forcefully.

Shock was the first emotion that radiated his body but none the less smirked against her lip's as he began to regain his composure. "Stubborn and impatient as always." he breathed out when he pulled away just enough so that their noses were brushing off of one another.

With a roll of her brown yet red rimmed eyes, she copied his smirk playfully on her lips then said "Shut up and kiss me." He smirked once more before catching her awaiting lips in his; He didn't need to be told twice.

_**'There will always be a door to the light'**_


	2. I told you I believed

**__****_'Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience.'_**

* * *

Together they laid on their backs, pressed against the many grains of cool sand as they stared up at the twilight surrounding them. Their hand's were as if glued into each other's as well as their bodies which was quite common now a days to see them this way. Smiles danced upon their bright faces as they settled in the comfort of the silence that had fallen around them in their short period of time from arriving to the beach.

Most of their day's were spent this way, laying around the beach becoming a tangled mess, or at one another's house while enjoying the simple yet adoring company of each other. They were the couple on the island who exchanged very little words, but talked with their eyes and body actions that showed just how much they had fallen for the other.

They were aware of what had come over them, but didn't realize how powerful their connection had actually become and now necessary the other's appearance was needed throughout the day. One could say that they were obsessed but the truth was, they were just in love with love, even if they had failed to admit it out loud. Their smiles and comforting gestures filled all those silent word's you would expect to hear from one.

A silent yet cold breeze blew by causing the girl to press her body closer to the young boy's side. "Cold?" He mused with a gentle smile as he pulled her onto his chest and wrapped his arm's around her. She nodded her head against his chest and began to trace shapes along his stomach absently mindedly as he let out a content sigh. If they could stay like this forever, they would have jumped at the opportunity at that very instant but they both knew that they would have to let go very soon.

A mission was needed to be carried out by the boy and he could not refuse to take part. It was something that had to be done , something to help protect the world and all the amazing people he had met in it like the girl who was now pouting against his cold flesh. "I hate the fact that I can't come with you." She muttered under her breath after a while of silence. "You know I would be able to help you."He sighed, it was something that had come as a habit to him when she had brought up the dreaded topic about her coming with him on his mission. Yes, she would be a great help since she too can wield a key blade, but being in the relationship they are now would only put them at risk. He would constantly be putting himself out there to stand in front of her with what ever danger that dares to cross paths with them, which puts the mission and all involved at jeopardy. By doing so, that would make it unfair to everyone else he would be assisting in the mission. It simply could not be done if he wanted to get the mission finished with the right way and return back home no later then arranged. "But you also know why I can't bring you with me." He pointed out as she lifted herself up off of him to stare down at his narrowed eyes with a frown.

"But you know I could be more of assistance to you if I was to come." She pressed on, she was not the type to let things go so simply or at least not with out a fight which would not be a first in this case.

Of course, he knew she was not easy to argue with cause she was very good with her words but he too was just as stubborn as she was and maybe even more so depending on the topic of course. "Please don't make this any harder for me then it has to be." He begged up as she sat up away from him and held her knees to her chest while looking out at the crystal like sea in front of them.

A response from her didn't come for a while as she continued to stare out at the ocean and rest her head against the top of her sandy knee's. But when it did come, it left him feeling even more guilty which he knew she didn't intend, but none the less felt as if a knife was stabbed through his heart repeatively; That feeling was unavoidable. "I just don't want to watch you walk away again."

The boy didn't say anything for a while, cause there was nothing he could have said at that statement she made. Nothing he did could change the past and that's what stung him the most was realizing that. He opened his mouth to say something but she turned towards him with a sad smile and spoke again. "I understand about you wanting to leave me behind for this mission and how there is nothing I could say to change it." She started off with a sigh but then smiled "But I'll let you go , cause I know its something you need to do. And while you're gone, I'll be here waiting for you , silently cheering you on."

A smile took the form of his lips as she leaned her head against his arm with a smile. He was glad she understood his reasons and wasn't going to try anymore to change them because that only made it harder for him to actually leave. "I'll come back for you." He said as he turned his body to face her with a pleading look upon his almost innocent features he was given.

The smile stayed but grew bigger when hearing those words out of his mouth. It's been something she's been waiting for him to say this entire time, that's all she needed to be reassured to be happy with letting him go. "I know." She said as she intertwined their fingers together on her lap and with the other hand laid it gently on his shoulder.

With a gaze of his blue eyes over her face, he knew she finally understood and that she was almost too good to be true. A Smile became a permit expression on his face as he leaned forward and placed his lips to hers desperately, not wanting this moment to end. "You're too good for your own sake." He mumbled against her lips as she lowered herself down against the sand and giggled.

He followed her down and started trailing kisses down from her mouth. "I hope that's a good thing." She breathed out which he chuckled to.

"It is." He said with a smirk as he pulled away to look down at her and place his hand gently against her redden cheek. "A very good thing."

That was the last word's they spoke during their last moment together alone under the moon light sky . But they didn't need to speak to show each other how they felt for one another, word's were unable to describe their feelings currently taking place and tugging upon their desperately pleading hearts.

* * *

**_' Don't ever forget: wherever you go, I'm always with you. '_**


	3. Breathe for me

**_'I lived my life defending others. But now... there's no one left to protect. Maybe... it's time I shaped my own story.'_**

* * *

Everyone who stood in the room watched the girl's face quickly change emotions from joyous to a sorrow and dreadful look in a matter of seconds. No one dared to say anything at that moment, afraid for what might come next in the girl's actions or words. Instead, they all stared at her and waited for her to say or do something so they could determine what to do next.

In hopes she had heard the young man wrong, pleading that was the case, she asked him again. "He's…" She paused as she swallowed down the sob beginning to take place in her tightened throat. "Dead?" How could this be, she screamed in her head, he promised me he would come back for me.

Again, no one spoke except her best friend knowing exactly what she was feeling. "Yes." Sora whispered wishing too that it had been some sort of mistake, some kind of misunderstanding instead of this dreaded turn of events. But he heard it from King Mickey himself that he watched him slowly parish during the mission to escort some very important people to a safer world.

The mission was signed off as complete, due to him sacrificing his life for people whom he never even had connection to. He was that kind of person, the one who would do anything in order to save some one else's life even if that meant he had to take the low road just to have that happen for them.

The girl shook her head causing her side bangs to fall over her squeezed shut eyes as she clinched her fists to her sides trying hard to control herself which she was failing miserably at. Yuffie was the next to speak. "I'm so sorry ." She whispered as she took a step forward towards her but the girl took a step back needing her space right now afraid of lashing out on these kind people.

Alone, that's the next emotion that swirled through out her body and mind as she stood there in front of the door trying to over come the hysterics about to take over her body completely. Her shoulders began to shake and her eyes started to get glazed with unshed tears as it all processed in her mind. The love of her life wasn't going to come back to her, he was taken away from this world, away from her. She was going to be alone forever, alone with no one to love or love her back. He was never going to walk through the doors of her house and take her in his arms and kiss her like she was the world to him as he was to her. They were never going to get married like he had promised her one day, they weren't going to start a family together like they had always planned. All her dreams and world were now crumbling around her as she tried to take as many breaths as she could cause it seemed like no matter how much air she took in, it was never enough; She felt as if she couldn't breathe anymore , like the walls around her were slowly but surely closing in on her.

The door knob was suddenly under her trembling fingers as she tried to determine what she was going to do next. The only thing she could do was plainly obvious; She was going to run away. "I'm sorry…" She whispered. "But I have to go, please don't follow me." And with that , she threw the door open and ran as fast as her leg's could carry her out in the dark night.

Ignoring the call's of her name, she ventured off into the thicket of tree's with tear's streaming down her face. Where she was going, she didn't know nor care. All she knew was that she had to get away from everyone's sympathetic eyes, it was suffocating and she needed to be alone with herself so no one else had to see her this weak. Her screams and cries were only going to get worse, something she did not want anyone else to witness besides the wandering eyes of the animals and critters that ventured around her, trying to desperately avoid being trampled on by the souls of her shoes.

How long she had been running, she couldn't tell but soon she came upon a small lake and she knew this was her destine location to finally stop running from her fears. She collapsed beside the lake then cried into the dirt while pounding her fists beside her head as if it was the one to be blamed. "Why?!" She screamed out into the sky, to no one really in in particular. "Why him…"

Out of all the people who could have been taken from this world, he was the chosen one; He was the one destined for a short life. The weight of her heart was almost unbearable as she closed her eyes and brought her knees to her chest while picturing his face, smiling down at her like there was no tomorrow. It was a painful sight to see, but that's all she had now were her memories. No matter how painful they were, she was going to store them away forever.

Her cries became louder as she remembered the day before he left, how he made her feel, all the things she said to him and all the promises he made in return. Those promises were going to be un kept, unfulfilled and there was nothing she could do about it. All they were now were memories to taunt her , showing her how good her life used to be and no longer will be. Oh how she wished she could stop time and go back to where everything and everyone was carefree, no talk about all the worlds, all the heartless venturing around that needed to be stopped. If only thing's were that simple, but nothing was ever simple for her.

She felt as if the world and everyone around her was mocking her, throwing everything in her face as if to show her how weak and how much control they truly had over her. All they had to do was one simple thing and her world was then crashing down around her and there was no one there to pick up the pieces and make it all better. Nothing was going to be the same anymore, nothing was ever going to be as good as it used to be; Not even close. The time when she finally thought things are almost too good to be true, they really do turn out that way as everything was finally ripped away from her. She should have expected it all a long though, nothing good ever lasts in her life. When she finally does get a good fortune in it, some how it's always taken away from her , that's just the way things worked for her.

At this instant in time, all she wished was to stay here like this and slowly die so she could be with the one who truly made her happy; The one that needed her the most as much as she needed him. Life seemed pointless now, she had nothing to live nor to strive for. One could say she had her friends to always live for, but that wasn't enough, it was never going to be enough. They would always have some one there with them, but what about her? Did her feelings not matter as much as their's did? Her friends were the ones who always came first, their happiness was the only thing that mattered to her and when she finally found her share of happiness she realized she was missing out on this whole time, it gets stolen from her tight grasp. Where was her happily ever after?

"Jessica?" A familiar voice whispered from behind her causing her head to snap up in his direction. "Come back please." With a shake of her head she sat up and buried her face into her hands to attempt at stopping her cries from being heard and her face from his watchful eye. "Leave me be." She said against her shaky hands. Leave me be alone with my memories, she shouted in her head. Why couldn't everyone just listen to what she had said for once and let her be alone when she most needed it. She understood his reasoning's for coming out her, in hopes of sharing this pain with her and take her to a more safe location but no one understood what she was going through, what she was feeling especially him.

Sora shifted his weight around from foot to foot as he watched her shake from all her violent sob's. It was not an easy task to find her, but her screams gave up her location; They could hear her all the way back from the little cottage they were staying at. It hurt to watch his close friend sit here and suffer through this but she didn't have to be alone while doing it. His legs carried him over to her when her cries were calming down, he knew it was better to deal with her that way. "Come on , let's go back inside." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort which she shrugged off and shook her head.

A sigh escaped him when he tried to grab her hand to lift her up but she snatched it away when he touched her. She seemed to flinch away from his touch which caused his frown to deepen. "I understand what you're going through, but please, I need to get you back inside."

When those word's left his mouth, he saw her snap and her body stiffen. "You don't understand nothing." She said after a while that seemed like years. "You don't understand it at all!" She shook her head around then looked up to finally meet his confused eyes. "You can't possibly understand what I'm going through, sure, he's your friend too. But he was the love of my life." She began "And now he's gone and he's not coming back as much as I wished it wasn't true. You have Kairi to go back to , but who do I have?" She asked him darkly.

"No one! I have no one to go back to while everyone else has some one. I'll be alone watching you all live happily while the only happiness I am ever going to get is from my memories and even then the happiness wont last when I realize that I'm just setting myself up for false hopes." He blinked a couple times at her words and took a couple steps back unsure what to do. Every word she said was like a rip to his already broken heart, he hadn't realize all these thing's she was pointing out to him. "So never tell me that you understand cause you don't understand anything."

He opened his mouth to speak, but he was unable to find the words. She had left him completely speechless and with a tangy feeling of guilt upon his chap lips. Tear's began to fill his eyes as he watched her slowly change in front of his eyes and as realize finally sunk in, he knew thing's were never going to be the same again and he despised that fact ever so greatly. "So just please, do me the favor of leaving me alone." She whispered after a while as she turned her head away from him to stare out across the sparkling lake and settle into her cherished memories. Even though he knew she couldn't see he, he nodded his head and began to take his leave. This was the one battle no matter how hard he tried, he was not going to come out successful like he had hoped for even with his good intentions. He had tried his best, but apparently that was not going to be good enough to save her from herself.

* * *

_**'What's gonna happen to me now? Just tell me that. Nothing else really matters anymore.'**_


	4. I am the truth you couldn't take

_****__"As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart."_

* * *

Track of time was something he had lost while watching her lay almost motionless along the side of the lake, dipping her hand in and out of the freezing water repeatively for as long as he could remember. It was true, he did feel bad for her, for the outcome of these circumstances she was brought upon with. But there was nothing anyone of them could do now as to help or reassure her with while being at least a tad bit truthful for that matter; She deserved that much in respect.

He knew that being here now , watching and waiting for the right moment to approach her was going against her only wishing but like Sora believed and so strictly stated 'No one deserved to be alone'. And with that thought printed inside his head, he walked over to the girl who acted as if she did not notice he was there. She didn't say anything nor change her behavior as he sat down next to her with his legs crossed over one another so his feet would not be in the water. He didn't know if it was a good thing she wasn't lashing out at him or if it was something far worse then he thought but he shrugged it off anyways and stared off across the lake awaiting for the right time to speak to her.

He sighed through his nose before speaking to her in a soft yet demanding voice. "We should go back now."

The girl didn't say anything for quite some time and he was worried in case she hadn't heard him speak, but when she sat up with her knee's to her chest, he knew she heard him loud and clear but was choosing to ignore him. He should have expected much though, time was not going to be able to heal this broken heart, it was going to take so much more then that if not far more time then this. "You know…" He started off as she looked at him in the corner of her brown eyes. "He's never truly gone, unless you believe he is." This time, he was certain she had heard him for she had turned her head in his view to give him a rather puzzled look. "This boy, he is going to be living on through your memories of him. If you keep him there, in your heart, no matter where he is, there is always a little piece of him that is going to stay with you through everything and everywhere."

There was a short silence between them after he spoke those words to her and he was then afraid she had chosen to ignore him once more . But when he turned to look at her directly, he saw she had her head hung low, her hands clinched in fists and tears were strolling down her already tear stained cheeks. "But that's not good enough." She whimpered out as she snapped her head in his direction with pleading yet innocent eyes that made him feel so sorry for her.

With those eyes and small voice, he almost felt bad for what he had to say next but it had to be said. He wasn't going to lie, he wasn't going to sugar coat it; that wasn't reality. "But that's as good as you're going to get."

Shock was the only emotion viewable on her delicate face as the words sunk in her head slowly. After he said those word's , he didn't know how she would take them but caring about that was not on his list. The only thing he was currently worried about was getting her back inside without having him to forcefully bring her in. If he could save energy by trying to convince her, then he would resort to that before having to settle for picking her up and dragging her; That was the last opinion and he was running short on them as time had passed between them and no word's escaped her parted lips.

What he could admit though while watching her nod her head then turn to stare back down at the ground was that he desperately wanted to know what exactly was going through her head at that moment that caused her not to speak. Her eyes showed that her mind was reeling through all kinds of thoughts that left him quite curious, but he had too much pride to ask and show her his curiosity bubbling about her.

After standing up and brushing off his pant's, he looked down at the girl and offered her his hand which she studied for a few minutes before accepting. His leg's carried him to walk off towards the direction of the little cabin that they had owned over by the mountain's, but a hand on his shirt held him back. Jessica's hand was clinched onto his shirt as she had her head hung down trying hard to prevent the tear's from cascading once more from her eyes. But when she looked up at his soften expression towards her, his eyes showing such pity for the young girl, her sob's became hysterics as she threw herself onto his chest and held him tight which his body stiffened from such connection.

Her arm's that were wrapped around his lower abdomen , became tighter and tighter with every cry she made. She held onto him as tight as she could, feeling as if that was the only thing that was going to be able to hold her together. The girl's mind was on the bridge of denial about the death of her loved one, which was the only thing saving her from insanity. If she was to have accept such fact, her mind would have been lost for good and that's what worried most for her sake.

The boy with long brown hair had not expected this from her which caused him to stare down at her with confusion masking over his rough features. She looked so small, so vulnerable to the world and all in it that it made him feel so weak from not being able to protect her from such circumstances as these and probably the many more to come. The only thing he could do now was hold her against him and let her cry for her final good bye to the lost one.

They stayed like that for a while, until the girl's cries had turned into small sniffles and whimpers. "Thank you…" She whispered as she pulled away from him to whip her eyes with the back of her hands. His only response was a smile which she bitterly returned and with that, they began their journey back to the entrance of the forest in which they had came.

He was quite surprised that, that was all it took for her to come back with him, but he figured it was probably because she was tired. Blaming her for that was something he was not going to do, she had been crying for a while as well as running before hand, which seemed to have drained her of most of her energy. His thoughts were proven correct when he noticed her stumbling behind him , trying not to fall over from lack of fatigue.

"Get on." He said when he had stopped in front of her, and bent his knee's far down so that she would be able to climb up on top of his back.

The girl's eyes gazed over him then shook her head at the request which he sighed in response to. "I know you're tired, just get on so that we can get back or this is going to take all day." His reply was, which caused the girl to roll her eyes at but none the less, slowly but surely made it onto his back then wrapped her legs and arm's around him in a tight grip afraid of falling off his tall structure.

Jessica's cheek rested against his shoulder as he carried her throughout the forest and within a couple minutes, her eyes gave up the fight occurring within herself and slowly closed. It felt like weights were pulling at the bottom of her eye lid's which in return, she refused to fight against any longer as her breathing became at a regular yet slow pace.

After a few more moments, the girl was fast asleep on the boy's back but her grip on him was still as tight as ever, Leon noted, even if she was currently asleep. The man continued to walk through the forest, avoiding rock's in which he would stumble over and possibly wake the young girl. He liked it better now that she was asleep, he didn't have to feel guilty each time her sob's turned into hysterics or when her innocent and tear glazed eyes met up with his curious ones. With her being asleep, it would be oh so much easier to bring her back in this state rather then in a hysterical one; She became irrational and unable to control nor persuade when like that which no one was able to handle, not even her closest friends who have known her for years.

Along the way out of the forest, they were met with a spiked blond who was found leaning against an oak tree with his arms crossed and his head lowered to the ground, eyes closed. As if sensing his comrade's approach, his head snapped up to the man but did not say a word when they stood face to face in front of another. His blue piercing eyes traveled to the bundle upon his back which he cocked an eye brow up to but still did not speak vocally but with his eyes rather.

His friend, comrade, Leon, shrugged his shoulders gently before speaking. "She was tired and was taking up too much time attempting at walking on her own." He responded to the silent question that was hanging on the tip of the other man's lips awaiting to be spoken.

The blond nodded his head before his eyes met his friends once more. "So she's asleep , I'm assuming?" He finally spoke in a quiet but calm tone of voice.

"Fast asleep since she climbed on." Leon stated with amusement coating his word's. "I thought you were going to handle her, Cloud?"

Cloud raised both eye brows up at his statement rather then question as he pushed himself off the tree to stand beside his friend with a stern expression. "I was going to offer my help, but when I came it didn't look like you needed it." He said referring to the moment when the girl stood there hugging Leon and crying into his chest with his arm's wrapped around her.

"Before then would have been nice." The brunette retorted with a roll of his eyes as Cloud flipped his bangs out of his eyes before walking forward, Leon trailing not far behind while attempting to boast the girl more up on his back.

* * *

_**'Isn't this what users do when they're sad to say goodbye?'**_


	5. When we are older you'll understand

**_'I just - Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back.'_**

* * *

Everyone's eyes were on her best friend Sora, as he sat the at the table with his head in his hands unsure of what to do with the girl who was currently sleeping upstairs in a spare bed. If he forced her to come with him to go back to working on the mission they were assigned, it would never get done or at least any time soon. He knew she was going to be out of it for a while, refusing so do what was told or anything for that matter. She was going to act as if she was an emotionless puppet, that was what set in stone for the next events. Sora didn't have time to put the pieces back together for her, or at least not now when other peoples lives were at stake.

Yuffie glanced at Leon who was sitting on the couch close to the fire and didn't pay her questioning eyes any notice. Next her eyes shifted over to Cloud who was leaning against the wall, his eyes flickered to hers but said nothing. She hated the silence but didn't want to be the one to break it, she knew what actions they would have to take as a team together but she hoped the rest understood that just as well. "Why don't you leave her here with us while you are doing the mission?" She suggested as she pushed herself off the couch to stand beside Sora with a grin.

Sora's head snapped up to hers to give her a rather shocked expression which her grin widened to knowing she was making the right choice in deciding this. The short haired girl's attention was then dragged over to her partners who looked at each other briefly before letting their eyes rest on the smiling girl. "That might be the best choice for you to take right now." Leon agreed while placing his hands behind his head. "Seeing as thought she is going to be out of it for some time."

The young boy stared between all his friends with an open mouth at their kind nature, he had not wanted to burden them by asking which would make them feel guilty if they had rejected his offer. Bringing anyone down with him during this was not what he had in mind.

But them offering to do this for him was nothing he had expected, none the less, he was grateful for such good friends as his. "You guy's would watch her while I was gone?" He asked curiously, not believing what he was being offered.

He felt guilty just leaving her like this, but he knew he would come back for her and then he would be able to fix her back up or at least he would try his best to. If he didn't finish this mission, he might not be able to get that chance to help his friend again or save innocent lives, so he had to do what ever it took to get this mission finished with even if it meant leaving his friend behind to be baby sat.

Cloud closed his eyes and sighed before speaking, "Yes, I doubt she would leave this house even if you had to bring her along. So she has to stay here none the less even if we don't agree to this arrangement."

The spiky brown haired boy sighed and dropped his head in his hands not knowing what to do. He didn't want to exactly leave her here, like he was just dropping her off like she was nothing of importance to him. That wasn't the case at all but that didn't help change the whole view of the situation what so ever. "I don't just want to leave her though…" He muttered between his lip's unsure on which course of action he should choose upon.

A hand was placed on his shoulder causing him to look up at a distraught faced Yuffie. "Do what ever you feel will be best for her." She started off. "The decision is up to you, we can't make it for you."

He stared at her for what seemed like ages as he contemplated on what action he should take that would benefit everyone, not just himself. But what measures were best for everyone else? The choice he makes, will that really be the right one? He wondered if he left her here for a little while, would she hate him for it, would she resent him and never speak to him again thinking he was just being selfish? All he really wanted was for her to be happy even if that might take a little while. He wanted her to be able to smile again but he wasn't sure how to go about getting that to happen once more or which decision he makes would effect that from coming true.

The next opinion weighed in his mind as he ran his gloved hands through his hair. If he brought her along with him, would that make her happy that he didn't leave her alone when things got tough for them? Or instead, would she despise him for making her carry on with the mission even though they just lost some one very important in their lives and they were going to act as if it had never happened.

"I sure hope I am doing the right thing…" Sora mumbled under his breath as he looked towards the stair case that led towards her bedroom.

* * *

**_'Take care of her.'_**


	6. Such a beautiful lie

**_'This is real...'_**

* * *

A sob caught in her throat as she watched the man she was in love frown at her before turning his body away from her and begin walking in the opposite direction. The only thing that made sense to her at that moment was to run. "Please!" She screamed as her legs carried her towards him but she didn't appear fast enough for that he was already fading off into the distance quite a far ways away from where she was now standing. "Don't go!"

The sound of her word's echoed in his direction of hearing causing him to stop in his tracks and straighten his shoulders preparing himself it seemed in her eyes; For what, she questioned in her mind as she stopped suddenly while watching him with teary eyes. She hoped that he had taken pity on the girl's cries and decided to stay so he wouldn't have to hear her cry anymore over him. That was a single hope she was holding tight to, was for him to stay. She couldn't bare the sight of watching him leave her, not again. This entire time she was convinced he was dead, but when she opened up her eyes, instead of seeing the eyes of the old friend she was last with, she had stared into a deep blue green eyes.

It had to be a dream she tried telling herself when she awoke to his soft expression looking down at her , holding her tightly in his embrace. But if this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up just yet. Or maybe…it was reality, and thing's were finally going to work in her favor for once. Maybe this had all been a misunderstanding of some sort, that had to be it. But when he left her and began to walk away from, she knew it wasn't a dream but a nightmare instead. "Forget about me." The boy said in a stern voice, not even turning to look at her distraught expression upon her exhausted features.

She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't quite see her. "I can't." She muttered under her breath trying her best to control the shakiness in her voice so it wasn't that noticeable. Why was he being this way? If he was really here with her now, why wasn't he embracing her and basking in their moment that they were finally together again , she wondered silently as she looked down at the ground watching her tears fall silently on the white tile floor beneath them.

"If you refuse to do so, this is only going to make this much harder on you." He firmly stated after a few moments or agonizing silence that fell over the two teen's. "Your choice."

A pang of depression overwhelmed her heart hearing those shocking word's escape his lip's causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and tighten her clinched fist trying ever so hard at keeping her heart from ripping anymore then it already has. This wasn't the boy she had fallen in love with , this wasn't the real him but why was he acting so coldly to her was what confused and hurt her. "If you're leaving me again…" She paused for a moment to gather all her thoughts together. What did she really want if he was leaving her yet again? Was it for him stay with her and her friends like nothing had changed at all? She shook her head at that dying wish, he was never going to stay, she realized that after he said that blunt statement. He changed and she was just going to have to accept that even if she had to pretend to at least. "I want you to take me with you."

The boy let out a bitter laugh at the girl's innocence towards this subject at hand, she really was oblivious to everything. A smirk pulled up on the corners of his lip's as he turned his body to face the girl with his arm's crossed over his chest tightly. "You just don't get it do you, Jessica?" He stated rather then asked as he leaned forwards towards her, his smirk growing ever so slightly as she looked up at him with a rather puzzled expression so plainly obvious on her face. "I don't want you anymore."

The tear filled brown eyes of the girl's widened as well as her mouth when he spoke those word's to her causing her to take a couple unsteady steps back. He was lying, that had to be it she kept repeating. He just wanted her to resent him for everything so she wouldn't want to be with him any longer. "You don't mean it…" She whispered trying hard to believe in her word's as well.

His teal eyes rolled dramatically in his socket's as he suddenly appeared behind the girl causing her to gasp loudly while turning to face his circling figure around her. "You don't sound so sure of your own words." He said while his eyes traveled over her body as if he was analyzing her in his mind. "So how true could they possibly be?"

He doesn't mean it, he doesn't mean it, she kept telling herself over and over again as she shook her head at him. "They are true." He cocked an eye brow at her unsure express that she tried to mask by forming her lips in a tight line.

"Oh yeah?" He asked her with a sick smile that danced over his lips. "Is it because you think I actually like you, like I actually meant all those things I said to you?"

The heavy weight in her heart increased as he egged her on. It can't be true, I've spent most of my life with him, this isn't the way he really is. This is just a dream, a nightmare. None of this is real, but even though everything he said was a bitter remark towards her. She would rather have those awful words hit her right in the gut rather then having nothing at all. "Let me help you with this once more, since you can't seem to figure these thing's out for yourself." He whispered in her ear casing chill's to rush down her spine. "I lied."

Her breath caught in her throat as he pulled away from her and looked over her face awaiting for a response. He smirked when he saw her mouth gapping, trying to form words within them, but nothing would come to her; She was lose for word's. "Now go run along and go play damsel with your friend's." He said over his shoulder as he began to walk away from the stunned girl.

As she watched him walk away from her, her heart silently began to rip down the middle. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know what to say. She was useless. Right now, she is being given the chance at bringing him back, and she can't even do that right. What good was she for if she couldn't bring the man of her life back home with her, her _**friend**_**,** if he didn't want to come back with her? "Don't go!" She yelled as he opened up a dark portal. She didn't realize she had began running towards the man until she threw herself against his back and held on tight. "I won't let you go, not again!" She shook her head as tears rolled down her cheek's. "I wont let you…"As her word's left her parched mouth, the boy froze and shuddered under the connection from her arms squeezing him ever so dearly. Neither of them moved for that moment, none of them wanted to. He shook his head causing his bangs to fall over his closed eyes as he hung his head down low. He tried to get her to feel hatred towards him, cause with that hatred built inside her being, she would forget about him. Forget about all the memories and promises they had together, it would be best for her. If she didn't, she was never going to be well again, she needed to _**want**_ to move on. "You can't make this easy for me can you…" He whispered softly to her.

The girl shook her head against his back at his statement. "I can't let you leave," She unwrapped her arms from his back and stood in front of her so she could take his rough hands into her own. "At least not without me."

A smile faintly tugged on the corners of his lip's as he let out a small chuckle. This girl was something else, he had to admit that. Even after all the things he said to her, she refused to let him go. She was always so forgiving, so innocent, but that's what made her the way she is; One of the only people that could ever make him smile and remember why exactly he still is here.

Something shook beneath their feet suddenly causing them to both look down quickly with a worried expression. Between them a sudden split in the ground formed and was expanding causing the couple to look up at each other with a confused look upon their face. "Ah!" Jessica screamed as the ground started to pull them apart from one another, their joined hands the only thing keeping them together. He tried hard to keep a good grip on her, but the floors began to cause a big hole to appear in front of both pieces of land.

"Don't let go!" He shouted at the girl as she rushed to the edge of her strip of floor trying her best to keep a hold of the boy. His eyes darted quickly around the white painted room trying to develop a plan but nothing came to mind.

Sweat began to build up between his brows as time was passing and he still had not figured out what to do. "What do we do?" She screamed as she got down on her knee's holding tightly onto the ragged piece of brick as their fingers began to slip from each others grasp. He looked at the girl with a horrified expression as their fingers there the only thing touching. He had to jump across, that was what he realized he had to do if he wanted to stay with her.

His body crouched down low as he prepared himself for the leap he was about to make. A shrill scream stopped him as his legs were about to leave the floor. Panic spiraled out of control throughout his body as the small girl's hand slipped from his grasp as well as from the hold on the floor then was sent falling forward into the nothingness before them.

The brown eyes of hers widened ever so slightly as she slipped off of the floor that was once beneath her then squeezed shut her eyes waiting for the impact. His own eyes widened as well and his throat tightened up as he watched the scene before in as if in slow motion. This couldn't be happening, he wasn't going to let it. They haven't gotten this far together just to have it all end like this, he was not going to settle for it in the least.

This was it, this was the end and she welcomed it with open arm's. She did all she could for the boy but she knew that was not even enough to save him from the darkness, but at least she tried. Maybe, just maybe , if she was to went away as well, that would be the impact that would change him which she has been hoping for. Maybe…her death would be a good thing, or at least she would hope her death would do some good at least rather then nothing.

He was determined not to let this happen, he wasn't going to let his reason of living die in front of him without even any action to stop it what so ever. His legs lifted him off the ground as he jumped over to the other side of the land , held onto the side of the ledge and threw his hand out towards the girl.

That was not the kind of feeling she was expecting to receive when she hit the floor, actually, this was nothing close to the feeling she had imaged. Her eye brows furrowed together as she felt a sudden pressure upon her wrist causing her to bit her lip attempting at holding back a scream from pain. A pale hand was wrapped tightly on her wrist, digging their nails into it, causing the girls eyes to follow it up to the man she last expected to see. He was grinding his teeth together with a look of determination across his face as he held onto the panic struck girl.

Her eyes began to tear up seeing the pain in his eyes as she tried to grab his arm with her other hand, but it was no use; They were not going to be able to pull her up. His hand began slipping from her wrist and eventually his hand slid into hers and he held on tight. "I'm slipping!" She panicked as their sweaty hands started to slip from between each others tight grasp.

He shook his head as he attempted at pulling her up, but that only made their hands slip faster from each others. There was nothing they could do, this was in fact the end of them. Tears rolled down her cheek's faster and faster with each dreading second that passed between them, neither of them saying a word but staring into each other eyes knowing this moment wasn't going to last. It made her smile a tad seeing him stand on the edge with her, even if this was the worst time to think about it. It meant that he had been lying to her before, he hadn't changed at least not in the way he was presenting himself. At least one good thing was coming from this all.

"This can't be happening." He spoke softly to his between gritted teeth. "Not like this."She put on a smile for him to show him things were going to be okay but the smile was erased when their hands departed from each others. "I'm sorry." She whispered as she began to fall and fast away from him, his horrified face seeming farther and farther away with each moment that passed.

Before her body had hit the floor she shot up in bed and began to hyperventilate while cradling her wrist in her hand softly . Tears poured out of her eyes as she began to scream out of fear of what had just happened and confusion as she gripped the sides of her head. A shape pain in her wrist caused her screams to stop abruptly so she could look at it. There was a faint forming bruise of thin fingers a lining her entire wrist. "It was real…" She whispered quietly to herself before another sobbing session a raised within her.

A hand was placed on the girl's shoulder causing her head to snap up the curious face of her friend Cloud. "He's alive." She said to the boy between her cries. "He's alive!"

Cloud stared at her with a frown as he shook his head softly at the girl. It hurt him seeing her like this, in this denial stage and crying over it. He thought Leon had told him that she had already accepted his death once and for all. "Jessica…" He said softly. "It was just a dream."

She shook her head violently as she looked up at him with a pleading look. "No, I saw him!" She argued back and held up her wrist. "This was caused because of him!" He balanced the girls wrist upon his rough hands and examined the bruise closely then sighed. When he went to check up on the girl throughout the night in case of her needing him, he remembers seeing her sleeping with a rather distraught expression while holding her wrist. She had to have done it to herself while having a nightmare, possibly the one that caused her to scream just moments ago waking the entire cabin up in the process. "You did this to yourself while sleeping." He said to her which made the girl take back her hand with a glare.

"No, I didn't." She said her voice shaking. "He was there…I know he was there." He was , wasn't he? The pain he had caused her in her heart while having that "dream" that Cloud referred to it as. The feeling was too real to have been simply made up or imaged. The bruise on her arm made it evident that it had not have been a dream, it was in fact real. Why couldn't he just understand that, why would she make this up? Why did she have to be so stupid and fall off the side of the plate form , if she hadn't done that, they could have been together right now.

"No, he wasn't." Those repeated word's caused her already broken heart to fall to the pits of her stomach each time those word's left his mouth. The word's echoed throughout her head which made her averted her eyes and focus them on the deep blue comforter she was clinching her hands to. Had it all been a dream, was his words really the truth? She bit down her bottom lip attempting at preventing another cry to escape her chap lips.

She was confused and didn't know what to believe which frustrated her greatly. "Sorry." Cloud said as he sat down on beside her on the bed. What startled the man was when the girl fell into his chest and began to cry while holding onto his shirt tightly. He didn't know what to do , he was never used to handling people in these kind of situations. Was he to hold her, if so, what should he say, what needed to be said? Nothing, he realized, nothing needed to be said cause there was nothing to be said at this moment. He slowly wrapped an arm around the girl and with the other, he balanced himself on the bed so they would not go crashing to the floor.

The only thought that was running through Cloud's mind as the girl held onto him crying, was "Why did this have to happen to them…"

* * *

_**'This is not happening... This can't be happening! It can't be...'**_


	7. It's changing me into who I'm afraid of

_** 'He made me feel... like I had a heart.'**_

* * *

The first thing she felt when she awoke a few hours later was the pounding head ache killing her. With a groan, she sat up in bed and threw her hands up to her head thinking that was going to do her any good. Her eyes fluttered open and scanned the room she was now sitting in then furrowed her eye brows in confusion. She didn't remember being in this room before, the last thing she remembers was falling asleep upon Leon's back.

A pain in her wrist caused her to snap her head down to it and frown. A rush of memories poured into her causing her frown to deepen as she remembered everything that happened during the night. A sigh escaped her lips as she laid her head back down on the feather pillow behind her as she tried to figure out exactly what she was going to do. She figured she was back in the cabin since Cloud had come to take care of her during the night and not Sora.

While realizing that Sora had not been the one to come in, it made her question to if he was here or not. She let out a deep sigh as she pushed all those thoughts to the back of her head. It didn't matter if he was here or who ever, she really didn't care anymore; It wouldn't make a difference in the long run. No one else mattered except for the boy who was never going to walk through these halls again.

Thinking of him brought tears to her eyes but she fought hard to hold them back and in the end won the battle only managing to have one tear escape her which she whipped away quickly. Why did it have to be him, she questioned in her mind. He had never done anything wrong in life, and when ever he did, he fixed it and made it better. Why wasn't some one less fortune to all the worlds taken away instead? She did not understand how fate worked and at this moment hated it with every fiber in her body.

Downstairs the friends sat around the small dinner table while some sat on the couch as they silently wondered what they were going to do for the girl who had not made an appearance yet. Tifa was the first to speak from her spot on the couch, "Why doesn't some one go and check if she's awake for breakfast?"

Yuffie placed her hands behind her head as she walked over to the wall by the door so she could lean against it. "I remember Sora telling us that she was the type of person who slept till late in the afternoon." She started off, "So I doubt she would be awake anyways."

Aerith sighed softly as she shook her head. "Such a tragedy…" She whispered softly sadness coating her words. "He was such a nice young man."

The girls nodded their heads then it was silent in the room for a short moment before Aerith decided to speak again. "Poor girl." She said. "So young, but this travesty will age her greatly."

"That's what I'm worried about." Leon stated suddenly from his spot in a chair at the table. "I'm not sure how she's going to adapt to this change."

He wasn't sure if her emotional state was going to reject this change, or she was going to be like a hollow shell. Was the change going to be a good one or be a negative one even for everyone around her, these were the questioned that rushed through his head as he stared off at the wall blankly, tuning everyone else out to be lost in his thoughts.

The look on her face as she cried to Cloud last night broke his heart in two. He even had to leave Cloud to handle her instead cause the pain was almost too much for him to take as she silently broke apart in the inside. He let out a deep sigh as he leaned farther back in his spot on the couch as he thought about the girl. He never usually felt as bad about these kind of circumstances to people, since they happen all the time and even to him. But something about her stirred something inside of him causing guilt to fill him once more having this sort of thing happen to her.

"Oh, well, well, well," Yuffie said with a bright smile as she jutted out her hip and placed her hands upon them while bringing Leon out of his thoughts. "Good morning to you, Jessica."

The group of indifferent people turned their attention to the girl who was slowly descending down the wooden stairs in pajama's. She looked up the meet the eager ones of her ninja friend and tried to put on a smile but it looked more pain then anything causing them all to exchange sadness struck looks. Yuffie held back a frown and pasted that grin on her face as she made her way over to Jessica. "Did you find everything well this morning?"

The short haired brunette girl nodded her head quickly as she walked over to Leon and look the empty seat between Leon and Cloud. They looked down at the girl as she pulled her short legs up to her chest and leaned against her brown headed friend. Aerith looked around the room feeling slightly awkward by the silence coaxing the room. "Are you hungry?" She asked the girl with a gentle smile. "We still have some left over food from earlier if you would like that."Yuffie nodded her head suddenly with a smirk playing over her lips. "Better get it now before you have to fight over it with Cid when he gets here."Tifa laughed and shook her head recalling the last time some one wanted the extra food that Cid had 'claimed' from everyone else. "He doesn't usually share." She said inwardly. "He can be a bit selfish a lot of times especially when there is food involved."

It was Yuffie's time to laugh thinking of the last time some one tried to take the left over food we had stashed away for another time. "You should have seen him with Sora when he came to stay the day with us over here. They almost got into a fist fight over it."

Jessica wanted to smile but she had lost her reason for it. She didn't want to fake it cause she knew her friends deserved much better then that. But then again, maybe she should fake it for her friends to at least think she was much better then what she actually was. That thought lingered in her mind for a couple seconds before she pushed it to the back of her mind and shook her head. She was never really good at pretending especially when it was about her feelings that were plainly stated across her unusually pale face.

Maybe instead of faking a smile, she thought about just speaking to them what was on her mind. But when she opened her mouth to speak, it was as if she had lost her voice. The reason was plainly obvious , she truly didn't want to speak nor did she find a reason to as well anymore. Her voice was something she didn't want to waste or have give away how she was truly feeling about all these events: This was just something she was going to keep to herself. She frowned slightly and backed farther back in the couch away trying to avoid everyone's questioning and unpleased eyes.

"Maybe later then." Leon said to Aerith for the girl. Jessica looked up at him for a moment and the man knew she was silently thanking him which he nodded to then switched his attention to Cloud. "Are you ready?"Cloud looked over at his friend and nodded his head before standing up and heading for the door. "Where are you going?" Tifa questioned the two men.

"Out to patrol." Cloud said "Make sure everything is working smoothly."

Leon nodded his head and went to stand up but a hand caught onto the bottom of his shirt causing him to look down at it with a puzzled expression. Jessica sat at the edge of the couch with his shirt balled in her fist wearing a desperately pleading look. She was afraid of being departed from the boy's, they were her the only reason as to why she had left her room in the first place. They were the ones who came to her when she needed some one the most, she felt a sudden pulse demanding she had to always be with either of the two because of that.

The brunette man's face soften at the sight of the girl who was crumbling away with such fear. His eyes traveled over to a set of blue ones which melted slightly just as well. "Alright." Leon sighed. "You can come along."Jessica's face brightened some what at his response towards the her actions. In a matter of seconds she was already up the stairs and in her newly selected room changing into something more appropriate to go traveling outside with.

Cloud looked over at Leon as he leaned his back against the door with his arm's hanging slightly across his chest. "That was unexpected." Stated the blonde.

Aerith nodded and sighed quietly to herself. "Just as we feared." She knew that the girl wasn't going to be the same, this event made it evident to them not. The old care free girl who would run through the halls screaming out of delight while playing that silly game of tag she loved so much.

"We can still stop this change!" Said Yuffie with a shake of her head. She did not want to believe that one of her close friends were silently changing right in front of her to something she was not. Jessica's love wouldn't have wanted this to happen and it was their job to help this from happening.

Tifa pumped her fist in the air with a smile at her friends words. "That's right, we are all friends here." She said, "We'll just help her get back on her feet."The blonde shook his head softly at the words he was hearing. They were acting like this was something that was going to be easy, something that would require no time at all. Like they could snap their fingers and everything would be right again. "Easier said then done." He stated silently causing all the girls to look at him with a confused glance. "It's not going to be that easy like you all seem to believe.""He's right." Leon said as he placed his hands in his pockets. "It's going to take possibly more time then you have to give to her."

A sigh escaped the girls lips once more as she looked down at the wall with a thoughtful expression, her hands placed behind her back. There was a couple silent moments between them all before she spoke again, sure of her words. "Well, then we'll all have to work together on this," Aerith cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Won't we, Cloud?"

He stared at her for a few minutes with a look of defeat on his face before he nodded his head softly. He sure hoped they all knew exactly what they were getting themselves into by taking on this responsibility.

* * *

_** 'And who knows: starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun.'**_

**

* * *

****Authors note: **

Finally, some one reviewed my story ! I've been waiting for that before I posted anything. So this chapter is for you 'Rainxul' (:

Rainxul: Thank you for being the first one to leave your feed back on this story . It made me excited, you don't understand how happy I was, hahaha. Yeah, so basically she is in a bit of denial about his death. That's were the dream came from and I'm glad you understood it cause some of my friends when they read that chapter, they didn't understand it. So I guess I did something right? Yeah, I tried to capture the personalities as well as I could because if I changed them, it wouldn't make the story right. You know what I mean? Before I even write something that the other few characters say I have to sit there and picture it in my head how exactly it seemed like they would react or say in a situation that I put them it. It is really hard, that's why it takes me so long to put out another chapter. And yes, those are the quotes from the games. At least some one noticed ;D Thank you again for reviewing, it means a lot to me ! Hope you like this chapter and hope to hear back from you soon ! 3

In case you guy's can't take a hint, reviews will make me post and faster for that matter. I love reviews even if all you have to say is "Hi , I like the story so far." or even "when will you post again?" So please guy's, review !


	8. Memories of broken dreams

_**'I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light.' **_

* * *

The ground beneath her now dirty knee's prickled into her skin as she bent forward to place a potted flower into the hole she had made in the ground. After brushing the dirt to lock the flower in place, she leaned back and admired her work. A newly white tulip gleamed and swayed in the breeze causing the girl to nod her head in approval like she did with all the flowers she had planted that day. In the corner of her eye she saw Aerith walk over and smile down at the girl, "Looks wonderful." She commented.

Jessica let out a breath as she stood up and whipped the sweat that built on her forehead with the back of her hand. She took a couple step's back and examined her little garden patch filled with beautiful variety of flowers in one corner and in the other corner was bare with seed's hiding deep within the soil. These were the daily activities she would do with Aerith and occasionally Tifa when she had time to spare. Most of the time she would be working at a little bar around the corner and be too busy to spend her time planting flowers in the backyard of their cabin.

"You did a good job." Aerith said as she whipped her hands along apron in attempt at cleaning some of the dirt off them. "We'll have this place looking great in no time."

The girl looked at Aerith and nodded her head before grabbing her water from the corner of the fence where it laid and took a long sip from it. Her brown eyes traveled back over to the friend's that were boring into her own. "What do you think of it so far?" Aerith questioned as she got down on her knee's to lock another flower in place.

After a short moment of silence and no answer, her eyes went back up to Jessica's filled with question. No response left Jessica lip's but she shrugged her shoulders slowly before leaning her body back against the orange fence. She fought back the sigh that pleaded to escape from her lip's , she should have expected as much from the her. She hasn't spoken a word since her arrival here and it was starting to worry her greatly. Aerith has tried none stop to get the girl to speak but it would end in moment's like this. But she wasn't going to lose hope. Jessica just needed time was all.

Her soft hands brushed the soil around the flower as she bit down the frown forming on her lips. At least she hoped time was what she needed. But she wasn't going to lose faith in her recovering even if it did take longer then she had originally expected.

"You should get Yuffie to do work like this around the place." Said a familiar voice from behind her. "It'll give her something to do rather then have her complain how there is of interest." "Aren't you funny." Yuffie said with a roll of her eyes as she walked around the cabin.

Leon cracked a smile and shook his head at the girl before turning back and looking at the two brunettes staring at him with gentle eyes. "I just came here to tell you I am heading into town."

"Oh, that reminds me." Aerith dug out a piece of paper out of her apron and handed it to Leon. "Tifa needed you to pick up some things while you are over there."He nodded his head before placing the slip of paper into his pocket. His eyes glanced over at Jessica's whose looked slightly panicked darting between the two of them. He knew what she wanted to say for he had been through this a lot with her. She rarely spoke word's but her eyes would always give her away most of the time. "Would you like to come?" Leon asked her with a small smile.

Her dark brown hair bounced on her shoulders as she nodded her head then ran over to the man's side. He chuckled at the sight of her before looking back at Aerith to give her a slight wave which she returned with a bright smile.

"Stay close to me." Leon told her while they made their way into the town over flowing with people. "It's easy to get lost."She nodded her head and took his arm into hers causing him to look down at her with questioning eyes. He couldn't help but think she looked so small lately. It was like she was slowly losing herself, detaching herself from reality and everyone knew of this but there were plainly in denial thinking that there was some way to fix it.

The scene in front of her caused her eye's to widen in excitement for she has not been out and about like this in so long. The rush of everything caused memories to flood back into her from the time that Sora and her would always go on these daily run's from time to time to help out his mother.

It brought a smile to her lip's in remembering these little thoughts. It made her feel like she was back in the good old day's where there was not a care in the world other then worrying about getting home on time so your parent's wouldn't ground you for being out so late. She remembered all the times her parent's would crack the whip on her when she arrived home late from hanging out with her secret crush by their little spot by the ocean where they used to go when they couldn't meet up at home.

As good as the moment seem to be as she was lost in her memories, her heart began to feel slightly heavy realizing how far from reality that was now. The corner of her lip's tugged downwards as they moved through the crowd and she lost herself in her memories yet again. She remembered the day she was going to confess her feelings for the first time to the small boy at their secret spot. Jessica had never felt more nervous in her entire life then she did at that moment in time.

The boy didn't even know what to make of what she had just told him either. Maybe it was because of the fact that she didn't even make sense when telling him directly, she was never good at those kind of things. She was a stuttering mess when she first became his friend. But he didn't seem to mind, at times she always found him smiling from the corners of her eyes when ever she would stutter, blush madly then look down at the ground trying to keep her eyes away from his.

Looking back at all those times, she realized how much they had actually grown up. How much they had grown up together. They always did everything together, they were each other first at everything whether it was from their first kiss, their first date, their first fight, and even their first heart break. They were always there for one another. Her chest tightened realizing all those things. Who was going to be there for her now like he was for her?

After all this time, there was only one thing she regretted not doing with him. It almost brought tear's to her eyes as the thought soared through her head. But she didn't want to think about the fact that he was gone, she was still in deniable of it herself. The dream she had the other day didn't help her one bit but screwed up her head even more. She wishes she could go back to that dream and at least tell him there to get it off her chest. She wanted him to hear it, even if she was never going to get a response back. Leon glanced down at the girl as they made their way over to a certain booth holding a blonde headed girl he wanted to introduce Jessica to. Her expression was unreadable as she looked down at the ground giving it a blank stare. He wondered what was going through her mind currently, but he thought it was best not to ask her right now.

The blonde girl behind the box's smiled at the familiar boy with a not so familiar hanging off his arm. "Nice to see you again, Leon." She said as she cocked her head to the side.

He nodded his head softly at her before speaking, "How's the business today?"She let out an over dramatic sigh as she ran her fingers through her side bangs that covered her eye. "Not so well today. It's probably because of the other booth that just opened right across from us." She mumbled. "Taking away all our business."He let out a chuckle. "In that case, I'll take one bag of your red apples."A smile over took her face as she excused herself to go head towards the back to get some plastic bag's. She began to gently place six green apples in the brown plastic bag before handing it over to the waiting man in which he gave money in exchange for. "Thanks, Leon."

He nodded his head once more before gesturing to the girl beside him. "Alicia, this is Jessica." He said with a smile as the small girl looked up with shocked couldn't help but let her eyes gaze over the girl for a short moment. She remembered Leon telling her about this girl and how he was going to bring her over because maybe they could be friends. She put on a smile as she placed her hands on her hips gingerly. "Well , hello there , Jessica." She said , "it's nice to meet you. As Leon already pointed out, I'm Alicia." The brunette girl stared at Alicia for a moment before looking down at the ground never saying a word. It caused Alicia to frown for a minute but it was quite understandable as to her behavior, maybe this wasn't the right time. But it couldn't hurt to try to make some effort. She knew she would regret it if she didn't at least try to get to the girl today. "I've heard a lot of thing's about you from the others." She started off awkwardly trying to start a conversation, "I heard you enjoy writing stories, are you planning to write a book any time soon? I think that would be really cool if you did. I'd finally be have some one worth calling talented." She winked at Leon which he just rolled his eyes to.

Still no response from her which worried them both. Jessica gripped Leon's arm tightly as she pressed herself against his side trying to hide away from the staring eyes. "I also heard you like drawing." Alicia tried again, "What style do you enjoy the most? I myself prefer sketching still objects."

Slowly the girl hid herself behind Leon as she gripped the back of his shirt to keep her put. It's not that she hated Alicia, she just couldn't find her voice to speak. She didn't want to come out as a disappointment to her. What was she suppose to say , "I've given up on everything. Sorry." Even if that was what she was going to say , it seems as if she had lost her voice, the willingness to speak ever again.

Why couldn't they just accept that and leave her be? She didn't need anymore friends. She didn't want to make anymore ties with people terrified of them being broken and her standing on her own again. If you can call what she was doing standing on her own two feet.

Leon let out a sigh before looking up at the blonde with pity filled eyes. "Maybe another time." He said to her as turned his body toward Jessica so he could put his arm along her shoulders. "See you again soon, Alicia." Alicia stared at them as they walked off into the crowd back towards their cabin. "Bye…" She whispered as they disappeared amongst the people.

* * *

_**'Geez. Stiffer than the stiffs back home.'**_


End file.
